"Mirror Image" space charge distribution in XLPE power cable under opposite stressing voltage polarity

The paper presents the research on space charge distribution under different polarities in full size cross-linked polyethylene power cables using the pulsed electro-acoustic technique. Under both positive and negative voltage space charge distributions possess about the same profiles but opposite polarities. Similar phenomenon had been reported previously in plaque samples and was termed as “mirror image effect”. By comparing the results among the cables treated (degassing) under different conditions, the paper concludes that the “mirror image” charge distribution is mainly attributed to bulk effect within the volume of the insulation, whilst the electron transfer by tunnelling through an electrode/insulator interface contribute to the generation of homo “mirror image” at the vicinity of the electrode

Dielectric properties of epoxy nanocomposites containing TiO2, Al2O3 and ZnO fillers

The paper presents results of dielectric spectroscopy and space charge (PEA) measurements on epoxy resin filled with 10% w/w micro- and nano- sized particles of TiO2, Al3O2 and ZnO. The results appear to show that the material from which the nano-particle is made is not highly significant in influencing these results. The results support the proposition that the dielectric properties of such nano-filled composites are controlled by Stern-Gouy-Chapman layers (“interaction zones”) around the particles

“Mirror Image Effect” Space Charge Distribution in XLPE Power Cable under Opposite Stressing Voltage Polarity

The paper presents space charge distributions under opposite voltage polarities in full size cross-linked polyethylene power cables using the pulsed electro-acoustic technique. Under both positive and negative polarities, space charge distributions possess similar profiles but opposite polarities. A similar phenomenon had been reported previously in plaque samples and was termed the “mirror image effect”. By comparing the results between cables treated by degassing under different conditions, the paper concludes that the “mirror image” charge distribution is mainly attributed to a bulk effect within the volume of the insulation, whilst electron transfer by tunneling through an electrode/insulator interface contributes to the generation of homo “mirror image” close to the electrodes

Influence of water absorption in flexible epoxy resins on the space charge behaviour

The aim of the current work is to achieve a better understanding of the influence of water uptake in flexible epoxy resins on the space charge dynamics at high electric fields. The space charge behaviour was studied using pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) technique. The samples were prepared from Araldite CY1311, which is a bisphenol-A epoxy resin. This particular resin was chosen because its glass transition is 0°C and hence it is in a flexible state at room temperature. All samples were conditioned in containers with saturated salt solutions or de-ionised water so that various water uptake levels were obtained. It was found that the space charge dynamics was correlated with the amount of absorbed water in the samples and this is consistent with the dielectric measurements made on the same material where ion transport was identified as the main charge transport process from the observed QDC behaviour

Limitations of Kramers-Kronig transform for calculation of the DC conductance magnitude from dielectric measurements

The Kramers-Kronig (K-K) transform relates the real and imaginary parts of the complex susceptibility as a consequence of the principle of causality. It is a special case of the Hilbert transform and it is often used for estimation of the DC conductance from dielectric measurements. In this work, the practical limitations of a numerical implementation of the Kramers-Kronig transform was investigated in the case of materials that exhibit both DC conductance and quasi-DC (QDC) charge transport processes such as epoxy resins. The characteristic feature of a QDC process is that the real and imaginary parts of susceptibility (permittivity) follow fractional power law dependences with frequency with the low frequency exponent approaching -1. Dipolar relaxation in solids on the other hand has a lower frequency exponent <1. The computational procedure proposed by Jonscher for calculation of the K-K transform involves extrapolation and truncation of the data to low frequencies so that convergence of the integrals is ensured. The validity of the analysis is demonstrated by performing K-K transformation on real experimental data and on theoretical data generated using the Dissado-Hill function. It has been found that the algorithm works well for dielectric relaxation responses but it is apparent that it does not work in the case of a low frequency power law in which the low frequency exponent approaches -1, i.e. in the case of QDC responses. In this case convergence can only be guaranteed by extrapolating the low frequency power law over many decades towards zero frequency

The Influence of Water on Dielectric Behavior of Silica-filled Epoxy Nano-composites and Percolation Phenomenon

The dielectric properties of epoxy resin were studied as a function of hydration by dielectric spectroscopy. The dielectric spectroscopy measurements show different conduction and quasi-DC behaviors at very low frequencies (<10-2 Hz) with activation energies dependent on the hydration. These observations lead to the development of a model in which a “water shell” is formed around the nano-particles. The multiple shell model, originally proposed by Lewis and developed by Tanaka, has been further developed to explain low frequency dielectric spectroscopy results in which percolation of charge carriers through overlapping water shells was shown to occur. At 100% relative humidity, water is believed to surround the nanoparticles to a depth of approximately 10 monolayers as the first layer. A second layer of water is proposed that is dispersed by sufficiently concentrated to be conductive. If all the water had existed in a single layer surrounding a nanoparticle, this layer would have been approximately 5 nm thick at 100% RH. Filler particles that have surfaces that are functionalized to be hydrophobic considerably reduce the amount of water absorbed in nanocomposites under the same conditions of humidity. PEA results show that the wetted epoxy specimens have a higher threshold field of space charge accumulation than such dry specimens since water enhances charge decay

Influence of thermal treatment and residues on space charge accumulation in XLPE for DC power cable application

Effects of cross-linking by-products (residues) of polyethylene on space charge accumulation and decay are investigated in the paper using the pulsed electro-acoustic technique. Space charge profiles have shown a great variation both in the charge initiation over the voltage ramping up process and later on long term stressing and decay (volts off) among the samples subjected to different conditioning, which results in diverse residues content (fresh, 0.5% residue and thoroughly degassed). The results show that by-products of cross-linking or the residual impurities play a key role in the space charge accumulation in cross-linked polyethylene. On the removal of impurities by degassing, small homocharge was built up in the vicinity of the electrode. It is concluded that space charge accumulation is governed by the charge injection through dielectric/electrode interface when sample is thoroughly degassed

Improving the Dielectric Properties of Polymers by Incorporating Nano-particles.

The paper presents a brief review of the promise of nanotechnology applied to polymeric insulation materials and discusses the electrical properties found. For a variety of nanocomposites, the dielectric behaviour has shown that the interface between the embedded particles and host matrix holds the key to the understanding of the bulk phenomena being observed. Dielectric spectroscopy verified the motion of carriers through the interaction zones that surround the particles. The obvious improvements in endurance and breakdown strength of nanocomposites may be due to a reduction of charge accumulation. PEA space charge tests confirm this charge dissipation. By examining the onset field of space charge accumulation, it may be possible to determine whether a system is likely to be useful

Influence of absorbed water on the dielectric properties and glass-transition temperature of silica-filled epoxy nanocomposites

Work on dielectric spectroscopy of epoxy resin filled with nano-SiO2 at different relative humidities and temperatures is reported. Above the glass-transition temperature (Tg), dc-like imperfect charge transport (QDC or LFD) dominates the low frequency dielectric spectrum. Another mid-frequency relaxation process was found in the non-dried composites. Water also induces glass-transition temperature decreases, which can be measured both by dielectric spectroscopy and DSC. Both theory and experiment demonstrated that a higher water content could exist in nanocomposites than unfilled epoxy suggesting a bigger free volume when nanostructured. In our system, the hydrophilic surface of silica is likely to cause water to surround and lead to delamination of the epoxy from SiO2. This is a potential mechanical and dielectric weakness in the nanocomposites, which may lead to an ageing phenomenon. Hydrophobic surface group may reduce the water adsorption in nanocomposites

"Sub-Hertz" Dielectric Spectroscopy

Dielectric spectroscopy measurements below 1 Hz are often dominated by “conduction-like” effects. For this reason, they often appear to be dismissed as being of little interest. In this paper two “sub-hertz” responses are considered that give insights into the insulating sys-tems concerned. The first system is that of cross-linked polyethylene, taken from a power cable system. Measurements at temperatures between 60°C and close to melting at 100°C show a change in characteristic from a percolation process to a “true” DC conduction at close to the melting point. Using DC conductivities, it appears to be possible to show whether the cable has been subjected to thermo-electric ageing. This might give insights into where the conduction and hence the ageing in the XLPE is occurring. The second system is an epoxy composite. By considering the sub-hertz response, it is possible to demonstrate the effect of the interface between the filler and the epoxy matrix. In this system, ageing, resulting in delamination between the glass fiber filler and the epoxy, is clearly detected by sub-hertz dielectric spectroscopy. This process is likely to be facilitated by the presence of water, which is known to lead to mechanical failure in such systems, and which can also be detected by "sub-hertz" dielectric spectroscopy. The implications for nano-dielectrics are then briefly considered